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Santa Cruz County Land Use & Development Overview



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California Local Pin Marker Local Land Use & Development Digest

History of Santa Cruz County Wharves

01/11/2025

Read what UCSC professor Gary Griggs has to share about the rich history of wharves in Santa Cruz County.

Santa Cruz County Rail Trail Receives Federal Funds

01/10/2025

Learn about how the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission plans to utilize the $19.5 million in federal funds to continue work on the rail trail.

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Decades of Santa Cruz Wharf Repair Backlog Contributed to Vulnerability

A decision to rebuild the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is not expected for months, after detailed engineering work is done. (Tom Gigliotti)
Key takeaways

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Capitola City Council to Consider Future of Monte Fireworks Show

Fireworks may not return to the Capitola Wharf this fall because of a new permit required by the California Coastal Commission. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local)
Capitola City Council meeting: 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
State Money Sought for $45 Million in Damage to Santa Cruz Wharf, Harbor

The end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is fenced off Dec. 24, a day after large surf tore off an area under repair. (Tom Gigliotti)
SANTA CRUZ >> The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is expected to decide …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Cruz Wharf Reopens

About 150 people attended a brief ceremony Saturday morning hosted by Santa Cruz City officials to kick open the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf after it was closed Dec. 23 due to heavy surf damage.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Supervisors Declare Local Emergency, County Estimates $25M+ in Damages

In a brief special meeting on Dec. 27, three Santa Cruz County Supervisors declared a local emergency, which will allow officials to request state and federal assistance for the damages from the heavy surf, winds and storm surge on Dec. …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Ups & Downs

The quaint little Santa Cruz we’ve known for decades has been booming in 2024, like no other time since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.It’s been a boom year for construction all over the county. It’s also been a boom for …

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Trust in the Land

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust, an organization led by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, works to preserve and restore the lands of its ancestors. The nonprofit is participating in Santa Cruz Gives, a fundraising initiative created by Good Times in …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Trash Talkers: Keeping the County Clean

A group of city workers and volunteers spent the afternoon cleaning massive amounts of trash from a wooded hillside in Watsonville one sunny day in early December, hauling away several full dumpsters.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Pajaro Floods Two Years Later: Many Still Waiting for Recovery Funds

In 2023, the California legislature approved Assembly Bill 102—the Budget Act of 2023—which among other things allocated $20 million to Monterey County to help Pajaro recover from the flooding that occurred after the levee breached and caused widespread flooding.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Cruz Wharf to Remain Closed After Damage

Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf will remain closed indefinitely after waves on Monday sheared off a 125-foot section that was already closed and under construction from storm damage in 2023.

Featured

Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz, which might be a huge resort if not for the Coastal Commission.
The Public Shore Protectors
Born amid controversy, this public agency is responsible for managing some of the most precious real estate in the world.
Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.
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